Friday, February 27, 2015

More experimentation painting with UGC glass enamels on sgraffito sketches. I tried to create different effects with varying methods on a series of tree tiles. Here is the day 26 tree from last months' sgraffito challenge painted with the techniques I liked the most. This tree was pre-fired and then filled in UGC enamels, painting the trunk in a mixture of browns. The fence and grass were thinned out and the foilage is a mix of Bullseye frit and UGC paint.

Finished UGC Painted Tree Powder Sketch

Here are the sample tree tiles. I started by creating 6 - 2 inch by 3 inch glass pictures of various trees to include pine, birch, reflection, fat, skinny and pseudo willow. These were done with Bullseye stiff black powder and then fired to 1400 deg F for 5 minutes.

Powder Sketch Sgraffito Trees

Different fills were created using different techniques to see how this changed the firing outcome of the UGC enamels. The UGC enamels were applied to the pre-fired trees in various ways to include working wet on some and allowing sections to dry on others. The birch trees received powdered enamel foliage while the fat and willow trees were sprinkled with Bullseye frit. I scraped off bits of the dried enamel on the skinny tree and the willow.

UGC Painted Sample Trees Pre-Firing

Here are the trees after firing them to 1425 deg F for 10 minutes. I like the gray-browns much more than the red-browns for the bark. Also, I prefer the colors applied thinly for a watercolor feeling.

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

For my first UGC enamel painting, I chose to use my Day 3 glass powder sketch of Cape Zanpa, Okinawa. I really like the translucent quality of the water, but I'm not sure about the clear frit added to the breaking waves. I fired this piece to 1425 deg F for 10 minutes.

Finished UGC Painted Lighthouse Powder Sketch

Here is the original powder sketch that was fired to 1400 deg F for 5 minutes. It retained so much texture that the UGC paint had little valleys to sit in.

Day 3 Powder Sketch of a Lighthouse Landscape

This is the lighthouse before firing. The paint was applied with a small paintbrush and kind of drawn out. I like the spotty coverage on the water, but wish I had applied it thicker over the cliff.

Friday, February 13, 2015

My husband purchased every one of the Unique Glass Color Non-Toxic powdered enamels for me. I was so surprised to see each little bottle filled with finely ground powder and a little overwhelmed at knowing how to use them. I decided to begin with sample tiles stuck to the glass of a clearance frame from Micheals.

Framed UGC NT Samples

To create a sample tile for each of the 41 UGC NT line, I first cut 82 - 2 inch by 1 inch tiles out of Bullseye Tekta. This size allows for two tiles to be stacked for each color with a line painted on top of the glass, a line between the glass, and a sprinkling of dry powder on top of the glass.

Cut Bullseye Tekta Glass Tiles

I mixed the powdered UGC enamels in tiny little paint pots. Each container received equal parts UGC Medium and powdered enamel. These little paint pots worked out really well and were very air tight and spill proof.

Mixing UGC NT Colors

After letting the UGC dry, the kiln was loaded and the sample tiles were fired to 1450 deg F for 10 minutes. I vented the kiln about 2 inches until it reached 550 deg F and then I closed the lid.

UGC NT Color Samples Ready for Firing

Now on to painting, I think I 'll practice on my glass powder sgrafitto drawings from last month!!